Moscow led a war of liberation against (for?) the Afghans in 1979. At one point, they had stationed over 120,000 troops, supported by heavy tanks, personnel carriers, and most importantly, helicopters. After nine bloody, hard, fruitless and embarrassing years, the USSR crept out, with its tail between its legs. Of course, US Stingers and other high tech played a very big role.
Back then, the Cold War was in full freeze mode, and several false alarms, on both sides, almost led to a unthinkable MAD result. (mutually assured destruction) This suicidal race took place on land, on water, in the air and in space.
Billions in research led to many technologies, including a nuke light enough for our largest bombers to carry (one at a time), which then led to short range missiles, which gave birth to ICBMs (essentially really big rocks which could travel from one continent to another), which spawned MIRVS. MIRVS, a truly sadistic idea, were designed to prevent any land-based anti-missile weapons system from preventing the nukes from doing their job. One MIRV would separate over the enemy, and direct from four to as many as 12 individual warheads accurately to individual targets. It was (after bio weapons, manmade, incurable disease, and other military toys) one of the most evil weapons humans designed for use against our brothers and sisters.
WE overthrew nations to further threaten USSR. (Iran, and oh so many more) The Russkies, understandably, returned the favor. (Cuba, a lot of Africa, South America, West Virginia, and many more, were ruined in the process) They were about as suck-cessful as we when we deposed and assassinated leaders we disliked and where we underwrote revolutions simply because.
Such was the bloody handed, nasty, uncivilized, scary Cold War that persisted until our first SALT agreement. (Thanks, Richard) The future of the this entire flat earth was held hostage to a handful of military and political leaders, many of whom were considered insane by their counter-parts on the other side.
But enough history. Just know that Putin’s public and private goal was and is to recreate the USSR.
The USSR slogged away in the mountains of Afghanistan for 9 years. They lost 15,000 dead and many more injured. It was the moms, the dads, the cousins, nephews and nieces who objected to the Afghani war dead.
15,000. Dead. Nine Years.
Putin badly miscalculated when he believed his own puffery and that of his fawning military leaders. 120,000 troops, thousands of tanks (80% of his inventory), even more personnel carriers, trucks, and mobile HQs, ICUs, and lavs. His dreams and expectations pushed out actual factual realities with his long-stated pipe-dreams. Ukraine was hollow, powerless, defenseless and inept. Trump had demoralized NATO and Europe. America was cutting and running from the world stage, and NATO was ready to collapse from egos, attitude, finances, and short-sightedness. We were stupid to elect a liar and cheat named Trump, with tons of Putin’s help. THAT, more than anything, convinced him we were a country of morons. All of the above, in a very great part, was the basis of Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine.
2-24 thru 3-9. That is the length of the current vacation Russian troops have been relaxing in the land of a friendly, un-warlike, peaceful neighbor. Ukraine and Russia not only shared a border, they shared family, friends, and much more. Even their languages were quite similar, but not, as Fox News claimed, identical.
In that time, confirmed reports of 5,500 dead Russian soldiers have come out. Some estimates are as high as 10,000. Multiple vehicles were disabled, or simply fell apart. The vaunted Russian land army was rusting apart.
I do not dismiss easily higher numbers, and given 20 yrs of Putin, the chances of hearing the real numbers are slim to none. Let’s use the confirmed report.
5,500. Dead. Two weeks.
By comparison, Afghanistan actually looks good for the Russians. What Stingers did to choppers and tanks in the hands of Pashtuns, the Stingers (4th gen) and Javelins are repeating that result (again tanks, aircraft, etc) in the hands of a Ukie grandma.
No matter how you skew the view, it is a disaster for Putin. (Say, Donald? How savvy and smart does Putin look now?) It will only get worse. The Guardian reported that the top intel and military minds in UK and Europe are actually counting the weeks until Russia’s economy completely collapses, and the military withers away as troops keep abandoning their vehicles. Some do that out of protest. Out of fear. Out of gas, seems to be popular, too.
The damage to Russia’s economy may be permanent. The damage to Russia’s military may be as bad and as permanent.
The only real question: Did Russia maintain their nuke forces as badly as the rest of their military? If you aren’t convinced every aspect of their military is rotten at its core, check out the MIA Russian nuclear propulsion aircraft carrier. Project 1160 Orel was the long term plan to beat us in the oceans. Project 1160 it formed the basis of their mid-1980s supercarrier project: the infamous Ulyanovsk.
Which would sink if it left dry dock today. Or the Kursk, a top of the line nuclear sub which sunk with all 118 crew. Or many other examples.
And yet, to be realistic and admittedly afraid, they still have 6 functioning nuke carrying subs, jets, and missiles. And the man in charge resides in his own universe.